News from Laguna Beach Unified School District, its teachers, students, staff and Board of Education.

At its October 9 meeting, Superintendent Jason Glass, Ed.D. presented his written report — LBUSD 100-Day Report to the School Board. This work is a product of the listening and learning efforts conducted by Dr. Glass since the beginning of his tenure with the district. During the superintendent hiring process last spring, Dr. Glass promised the Board of Education to undertake an “entry plan” which focused heavily on relationship building and connecting. Dr. Glass told the Board, “This report captures my impressions and learning as a new community member and school leader.”

Over the past three months, Dr. Glass organized conversations with parents, staff, students and community members, met with school leadership, held town halls at each school, and conducted both a staff validation and a community survey called the “keep/start/stop” survey. He also reviewed district operations and data—enrollment trends, finances, staffing, assessment results, instructional alignment, and business functions. Four themes emerged repeatedly during the research process and are utilized as the framework for the report and as a foundation for next steps. 

Dr. Glass’s first theme focuses on elements of trust, coherence, and culture, specifically identifying areas where trust can be improved among district stakeholders, greater clarity and streamlining of initiatives are needed, and focusing on culture across the organization. “This theme is about culture: moving from fatigue and division to clarity, focus, and trust,” he said. “We need to build a district culture where people feel heard, systems are reliable, and leadership models stability.”

The second theme speaks to what Dr. Glass considers the unique strengths of the district—its focus on the arts, environmental stewardship, and its identity and connections to the greater Laguna Beach community. He sees this theme as an opportunity to leverage all that is special about Laguna Beach, “Protecting and elevating the arts, celebrating community-centered traditions, maintaining small-district strengths, and connecting learning to Laguna’s cultural identity will strengthen what makes us who we are,” Dr. Glass said.

The third theme looks inward to school-centric challenges and opportunities. Its focus is on improving student pathways such as career and technical education, engaging more deliberately with students to hear what they want and need from their schools, and recognizing that LBUSD facilities are aging and are not keeping up with current school design to meet those student needs.

The final and fourth theme provides a lens on the need for balance between the use of technology, innovation, and support for student safety, well-being, inclusion and belonging. “At the center”, said Dr. Glass, “is something very human—a desire to connect, meaningfully and with purpose, in ways that prepare our students for their future.” He heard from parents about their concerns for cell phone use in schools, students’ social-emotional health, and continued vigilance around safety. For Dr. Glass, “Balancing innovation with well-being means creating schools where students are both future-ready and well-supported in the present.” 

During his presentation to the School Board, Dr. Glass summarized his listening and learning process, outlined the four themes and findings, and concluded by saying “the report is not the plan”, but rather a foundation for one. “The work ahead will be to distill all of the insights to the key priorities that matter most and move into the development of a new strategic plan. This new plan should both align with state requirements and reflect the district’s vision and priorities for education in Laguna Beach.” The report themes will be further refined through continued conversations with stakeholders, expanding opportunities to include student voice in decision-making, more frequent school visits, and ongoing operational reviews. Dr. Glass concluded by saying, “My hope is that the report sparks a focused and forward-looking discussion about where we want to go together as a school district and community.”

Upon hearing the presentation, Board President Dee Perry said “....This fantastic 100 Day Report exceeded my expectations! I am impressed with all the outreach Dr. Glass has done with our community and schools to really learn about our Laguna culture. His emphasis on The Arts, The Environment, Safety, Technology and Student Voice is needed. All four themes give guidance to meet our student’s needs now and in the future.  We are grateful to have Jason Glass as our Laguna superintendent.”